Dublin city councillors have been told they cannot seek a recommendation from An Taisce on the preservation of a building to be demolished in the €365 million redevelopment of Lansdowne Road stadium.
Councillors in the southeast of the city are seeking to add the building, a Victorian house adjacent to the stadium, to the Record of Protected Structures (RPS).
Plans for the 50,000-seat stadium require the demolition of the house at 70 Shelbourne Road to make way for a new entrance to the grounds.
The council management advised against the move as the council's conservation officer said the house was not of "sufficient architectural interest" to warrant inclusion on the RPS.
The councillors voted last month to seek an independent opinion from An Taisce and the Civic Trust on the merits of preserving the building, but were told yesterday that it would not be appropriate to seek advice from either body.
Ciarán McNamara, executive manger with the council's planning department, said it was not appropriate to contact An Taisce or the Civic Trust in relation to the matter as neither of these bodies were included in the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland panel accredited in conservation.
"In addition, An Taisce have submitted a representation regarding the proposed development at Lansdowne Road."
Councillors agreed to seek a second opinion from a conservation architect recommended by the management, but Labour councillor Dermot Lacey said he was "deeply unhappy" with the process.
"It took a month for the manager to come back to us just to tell say we couldn't get the opinion from An Taisce; presumably planning permission will be granted before we meet again in September."
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